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What Are the Different Types of Viruses, Spyware and Malware That Can Infect My Computer

Summary: This guide explains viruses, malware, Trojan horses, worms, and adware threats, along with tips on how to protect your Dell personal computer from infections.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Instructions

Table of Contents:

  1. Different Virus Expressions
  2. How Can a Computer Be Protected from Viruses?

1. Different Virus Expressions

Virus

A computer virus is a piece of software that can 'infect' a computer, install itself, and copy itself to other computers, without the user's knowledge or permission. It usually attaches itself to other computer programs, datafile, or the boot sector of a Hard drive.

Malware

Malware is short for malicious software. Malware is the name that is given to any type of software that could harm a computer system, interfere with and gather a user's data, or make the computer perform actions without the owner's knowledge or permission.

Trojan horse

A type of malware that uses malicious code to install software that seems ok, but is hidden to create back doors into a system. This typically causes the loss or theft of data from an external source.

Worm

Unlike a virus, a worm is a standalone piece of malicious software that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. It often uses a computer network to spread itself, relying on security flaws in the target system to allow access.

Spyware

Spyware is software that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. Spyware can monitor and log the activity that is performed on a target system, like logging keystrokes or gather credit card and other information.

Adware

Adware is software that can automatically cause pop-up and banner adverts to be displayed to generate revenue for its author or publisher. A lot of freeware uses Adware but not always in a malicious way. If it was malicious, it would then be classed as spyware or malware.

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2. How Can a Computer Be Protected from Viruses?

  • Install an anti-virus program keep it up-to-date and regularly run scans.
  • Install an anti-malware program to stop software installing without your knowledge.
  • Never download and install software from the Internet unless you are certain it is from a trusted source.
  • Do not open email attachments unless you have scanned them first, even a figure can carry a virus.
  • Do not trust cracked or hacked software as they often contain malware or Trojans.

For more information please see this article - Protect your computer or remove virus, spyware, or other malware in Microsoft Windows.

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Affected Products

Fixed Workstations
Article Properties
Article Number: 000132699
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 24 Oct 2024
Version:  6
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